And Blessed Winter Solstice to everyone

 Today is the shortest day of the year, known as many names but Winter Solstice is the common one. From now on the days get longer as the sun begins to move more to the north. Yay!

It's going to be a very dry winter this season unfortunately. Looking back at my photos and posts from a year ago we had rain in August and we had cloudy and drizzly weather in December. We got a late Santa Ana which means we are still on a dry streak for a month now.

Meanwhile back in the garden. I'm concerned about the radishes, I guess I didn't plant them deep enough again or they are not getting enough sun. The ones on the west side are more stretched out and larger than the ones on the east. It may well be a matter of more shade due to the sun angle and with this being the Solstice, I will likely try to find another packet of radish seeds to put in as well as replanting lettuce. These were taken day before yesterday and shows everything is growing as fast as it can. As expected, the bougainvillea is growing again, anxious about what they will do with it. Keep an eye on the raised bed, off to the left in the photo is that one lone potato sprout coming up.

 

 Yesterday something dug in the bed right where the potato was sprouting and buried it in dirt. Since the spud was still there, I suspect it was just an opportunistic cat using it as a litter box. I had to move the soil around a bit to find it and discovered it had very small, fragile roots so I just pulled it and buried the potato piece more.

 

 

I watered everything again, best I could, you can see how dry the soil was even about an inch down. Oh I also pulled the onion that I put next to the trellis, it wasn't getting enough water and was very limp despite having roots. The others are doing fine as well as the cilantro. 

 

 

Right now we have an interesting example of higher supply the more traffic. The bird of paradise are still blooming like crazy and then I noticed that the vibrunum bushes were blooming as well. Guess where the bees were? Bird of Paradise flowers because the nectar was less work to find and drink. The flowers on the viburnum are very small and are more suited to a butterfly tongue than a bee. Problem is, there aren't any butterflies around this time of year, not even moths because it's too cold for them and wrong time of year for their life cycle. You can barely see it but there is a bee on that flower at the base of the purple/blue tongue part where it meets the orange flags.

That's it from the garden for this week. Christmas is in a few days so we'll see if 'Santa' brings me anything for the garden this year.

 

 

Well then, seems a bit too long without a post

 It happens that not much is happening in the garden so I didn't think it worth while to post until there was enough pictures. It's been cold, got a drizzle the other day and a cold Santa Ana came through, but that's about all for the weather. Getting into the low 40's at night into early morning and only gets up to low 70's midday. 

The 'Seasonal Tree' is about as naked as it can get and the same with other liquid ambers in the area. That's how you know it's really winter around here. Sycamores still have their leaves, mostly brown so they are dropping tons every day and moreso when there's a wind.

Something I noticed a few days ago was Dolores dragged her planter box of chives over to her 'garden area' from the end of mine. I remember her saying she's going to dig them out and put something else in it since she doesn't use them really. Oh well. I got a good handful, chopped them up and put them in the freezer. They last for a long time so it's a no brainer but whatever she wants to do. Those pictures were taken around noon and you can see that the west bed is in complete shade by then so the radishes only get maybe a few hours of sun early in the morning when it comes up and around from the building. 

Radishes are doing okay and still only one Romaine growing. Potatoes are still plugging along and I'm still only using the broken hose. Have to wait until after Christmas to see what gifts I get and probably get one in January. The onions will be ready in that bed in a few more weeks and there's a few cilantro sprouts there and in the west bed that will be ready to harvest by February at least. Once the new year hits I'll drop some more seeds as a succession planting. Still need to plant some lettuce. Have to wait on those as well since it's too cold for them to really do well unless I try to do them indoors.

Haven't been any signs of animals but that's sort of expected considering anything that would be digging is semi-hibernating right now. The lady downstairs with the hibiscus and lantana have trimmed them back completely again, it all works out obviously but it just hurts to see them like that when it really isn't necessary. Oh, 'Mabel' the mantid disappeared a few days back. One day she was on the same flower and the next, gone. Hope she just moved on and not a bird getting her, still don't know what happened to Manny.

Time for bed and the long, cold plodding of days to the end of the year.

Still not much going on, but weather is good.

 Not too many pictures either because nothing fantastic has been happening. Radishes are coming up, leaves on the trees are falling and still no rain in the forecast.

Decided to use a picture from last month for first photo just in case. Only difference is more wispy clouds today with lighter blue sky.

Not sure if something ate some of the seedlings or the chicken wire cover had slipped and cut them off. Looks more like munching but only a couple were eaten, no big deal. Other than that, they're growing and not much else. There are some onion seedlings in that bed coming up, all in a clump so have to wait until they're much bigger before spreading them out.

Next to that long white piece of wood are the onion seedlings the 'starts' I planted in the raised bed are doing well and so are the potatoes, more sprouts are starting to show so I might have potatoes by April. I mentioned that the gardener came through and denuded the other rose bushes, well this is the Angel Face still blooming thankfully. Wish I could get a cutting to grow one again. The other roses are definitely dormant now and St. Fucre help them (patron saint of gardeners).

I used the cultivator and mixed up the south bed that I've let go dry. Still planning on putting herbs in that bed like moving the oregano there, maybe thyme, rosemary would get too big, same with sage. Dolores has chives to spare, I dug up the three green onions she was just going to dig up and toss. Really? Why the heck are you even growing them? Wish I could do a stepped garden but that would require more soil and materials. Going through spices in my cupboard I really have a set handful that I use and most of them are things like garlic and onion powder, salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne, basically things I can't grow. I have the Italian mix which is rosemary, thyme, marjoram, oregano, basil, savory and sage. So a lot of those are large growers or annuals or picky growers, marjoram and oregano are very similar but both need warm weather to do best. Although the oregano in the ground already is doing pretty good. So more research is needed for sure and will figure it out in another couple of months when the weather starts getting warmer again.

I saw Dolores the other day and as I was watering I showed her how difficult it was for me to water my raised bed and her only excuse was 'there's no use getting a new hose because the sun will ruin it'. I tried to counter with getting a better hose and she said she can't afford that. Well gee whiz, what a surprise, that's why I haven't bought one in two years. No sympathy from her, no apology for making it difficult just her reasoning for not getting a new hose. She seems to be buying soil in bags, not big ones and also pepper plants, so we'll have to make do with that for now because she was not very insightful.

We might get our cold/wet weather in January because so far, it looks like a very, very dry winter this year.

Just a small update

 It is now 4 pm and the view out my window is all shaded. Tops of the trees across the way are still in the yellow glow of sunset. Not enough daylight in the day anymore to really enjoy things. Not that I was getting out and doing stuff but I'm not cooped up with the ac on and windows closed because it's a furnace outside.

Closest to actual color of the sunset last night. It made everything glow orange and I'm sure other people got better pictures but that was the best I could do. If I ever got a drone camera, I'd be taking pictures from rooftops for sure.

Best photo I could get of the regrowing pepper tree. they trimmed up the lower branches that were making it look like a huge ball. So they will be letting it regrow obviously but it's going to take another five or six years for it to get close to full size. One of the nandina were putting on a spectacular red show. Most of the others have some berries and some leaves that were red but this one is an overachiever for sure. Had to color correct a bit because...my phone is stupid.

Actual garden update now, the radishes are coming on like gangbusters, as they do. There seems to be only one romaine that has survived and none of the lettuces have come up yet. I might have to get some new seeds. I've been thinning out the radish line as they grow so they're pretty evenly spaced now. The potatoes are coming up slowly, another cilantro is growing (forgot I tossed some of those in the raised bed). Until I get another hose I can only grow things on the far end of the bed where the hose can spray. The local grocery store I go to doesn't have 'live' herbs in pots, have to go to either Trader Joe's or a nursery to get some sage, thyme, rosemary and whatever else I want to grow in the south bed.

I also noticed that the price for roma tomatoes is up due to it being 'off season' for them. During the summer they're 99 cents a pound now they're 1.29 and smaller than usual. I miss my bumper crop from last year. I will be planting regular romas again for sure. As long as I can start them inside and have the right soil.

Always one thing or another right? That's all for the update this time, just happy to see those radishes coming up.

Happy Turkey Day, or as some people call it, Thursday.

 It got really foggy last night which made the air smell wonderful coming off the small hills The morning though, clear, cloudless, sunny and warm with a light breeze. Amazing. Normally it's perfect gardening weather. If I had things to do in the garden.

The 'weather tree' is almost naked, right on schedule actually and need to check the other trees as well. Not that it's important but you know, the little things are cool these days. 

Afternoon sun coming through the other trees making a gorgeous yellow orange glow in the branches. Those are all sycamores with the gorgeous colors, making the liquid amber weak in comparison.

I was able to get up close to the Gorgeous Green Girl still hanging out on the flower. I noticed looking at her closer her left eye has some black patches, so she's partially blind on that side.  The top left photo unfortunately has a bit of shade right on that corner of her eye. So she's still hanging out and apparently surviving.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I didn't get pictures because it's kind of silly saying 'look there's seeds coming up!'. It's been four days since I put the radish and lettuce seeds in and I'll be danged if they are starting to sprout already! The potatoes are breaking through the surface as well in the raised bed. But I got pictures of the potato sprouts, all coming up in a cluster from the one tuber, then there's another one coming in  (upper left on the left picture). So things are happening just slower because it's that time of year. I'm hoping that I can spare a bit of cash for at least a bag of soil to put in there by the time they get tall enough to cover.

One downside, it's only been a few months since the gardener stripped all the roses, they bloomed again and then he goes and does it all over again! Good god! They are stripped naked now and so help me I want to put a sign up in spanish tell him to leave the roses alone!

So that's all the garden news today. Almost time for heading off to stuff ourselves silly at my daughters. 

Enjoy the day and whatever weather you may have, make it a good one!

Weather is very nice at least.

 Breezy, chilly and sunny all at once most days now. Sun is low in the sky so the garden beds are not as warm which means the seeds are taking longer to germinate.

This is an ash tree on the other side of the fence from where we park. Waaaayyy up at the top seems to be a nest. I saw a crow up there making noise the other day so it's possible that is who it belongs to, much too small for a hawk nest.

Fluffy clouds and clear blue skies in the same day. You can barely see but the tree sprouts are showing above the fence and so is the pepper tree. They actually trimmed up the bottom of the sprouts so it's almost a canopy shape. Can only see it from our window of course and the screen and windows are too filthy to get a good picture.

I decided yesterday to put some mixed lettuce and the last of the radish seeds in the west bed. A few onion sprouts were up but apparently only one Romaine seems to have survived. I also noticed earlier in the day something (cat) got into the raised bed so I moved the soil around and watered best I could. No sign of potato sprouts yet but almost dug one up I forgot was toward the middle of the bed.

I got a better look at the mantid and sadly, it is a female. Still hoping Manny made it out of the garden alive but it's great to see natural predators out and about. Wonder if she's hanging out waiting for ants or bees.

And then there's this.... act of.... what in the garden are they thinking. A lone geranium stick just stuck in the ground between a formerly potted ficus and nandina. Right where cars park. I hope to not be living there when that ficus really starts taking off.

That's about all for the garden stuff today. I may use some of our meager spare money next month to either get a hose or some soil instead of eating out. I had to use the remainder of my fun money for food. Again. 

Needs over wants and hobbies.

Been a few days

 I totally ignored the garden on Wednesday because I was at Disneyland all day then got busy the next day so at least got out and watered this morning. It has been getting niiippy! Dropping down to the high 30's in the wee hours of the morning and only up to the 70's during the day. Actually had a light layer of frost on my car window when we left for Anaheim.

The 'weather tree' has lost a lot more leaves as it should and the winter flower for San Diego is blooming right on schedule, that bush had about five flowers on it. While I was taking a picture I saw a familiar shape! A green mantid on one of the flowers!

 

I would like to hope that's Manny and has just changed color after molting.  It is a male, they have a narrower abdomen than females so it would be nice to think that he survived.

 

The romaine is still growing, so is the cilantro and I planted some green onion ends in the raised bed. The oregano is making a come back after almost being buried under the deterrent logs. Not much to look at this time of year. I am crossing my fingers I can use some of my left over money to get a bag or two of soil.

 

Since there's no pictures of the garden (not much going on there anyway), here are some pictures from Disneyland. They always have incredible layouts for their landscaping and interesting singular plants. The left picture is the entrance to Tomorrowland, the rockets are to the left. Kalanchoe baharensis, aloes and some succulents I can't remember the name.  The tree is actually in memory of a Ray Bradbury store that I had no clue about.

The story (and short film) was called 'The Halloween Tree' and it was dedicated on the night of Halloween 2007. "Realizing famed author Ray Bradbury's dream of having the symbol for the Holiday become a part of Disneyland." The tree itself I don't remember having green leaves on it and the leaves that are stuck up in the branches are from what looks like an English Oak and possibly (hopefully) an Oregon White Oak because that would possibly do better in Anaheim than the English Oak. Will have to look into it another time.

And beautiful lights illuminating the trees in Downtown Disney for the holidays. Wish we could have stayed to see the castle lit up but we were completely dead broken tired by sunset and still had a 2 hour drive home in the dark.

It was way too crowded or I would have taken more pictures of the plants. Because, that's what I do.